Wire-stretcher



H. E. GLOVER.

WIRE STRETCHER- APPLICATION FILED AUG-22, 1919.

Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

UNITED STATES HOWEL E. GLOVER, OF LONOKE, ARKANSAS.

WIRE-STRETCI-IER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

Application filed August 22, 1919. Serial No. 313,258.

1 '0 aZZ 107mm it may 0012 car n Be it known that I, HowEL E. GLovER, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at Lonoke, in thecounty of Lonoke and State of Arkansas, have invented new and usefulImprovements in WVire-Stretclr ers. of which the following is aspecification.

The object of the invention is to pro vide a neat and simple device ofthe above mentioned character particularly designed for stretcl'iingwire fencing when applying the same to posts. The invention is of suchacharacter that no clamping is necessary in attaching it to the fencingand it consists of two members movable with respect to each other, eachone provided with a grapple hook for attachment in the chain car led bythe member which is secured to the fencing, the one being employed forholding the fencing after it has been stretched a certain amount, sothat the active part of the device may be attached ire-connected for thepurpose of obtaining a new hold to further stretch the fencing.

The invention isillustrated and described in a specific embodiment, towhich, however, it is not to be restricted. The right is reserved tomake such changes or alterations as the actual reduction to practice maysuggest, in so far as such changes or alterations are compatible inspirit with the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing the apparatus in operativeposition.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the stretcher er se. i p Fig. 3 is asection on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 4c is a section on the line 1- 1 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings the invention may be described as consistingof an actlve and a passive element, the passive element being in theform of a bar 1 on opposite sides of which the longitudinally disposedplates 2 are attached. The lower edges of these plates are flush withthe longitudinal edges of the bar but' their upper edges extend beyondthe upper edges of the bar to provide a guideway for the active elementwhich is in the form of the bar 3. The active element or bar 3 is formedon its upper edge with the teeth 4. which are in the form of ratchetteeth, one face of each tooth being disposed at right angles to thelength of the bar and the other faces of the teeth being diagonallyinclined with reference to the lengthof the bar. Strap members 5 aresecured to the passive element, being attached to the plates 2 andstraddling the bar This construction, it will be observed, providesagainst any other relative movement between the two bars thanlongitudinal movement and this latter movement is necessary in orderthat the device may effect the objects for which it is designed. The bar1 at one end carries a clevis 6 to which a chain 7 is attached thischain being designed for attachment to an anchor post such as thatillustrated at 8 in Fig. 1. The bar 1 at the opposite end carries an eye9 to which one end of a chain 10 is attached, the chain at the oppositeend carrying the hook 11.

A stirrup 12 is carried by the bar 1, this stirrup straddling the bar 3and being pivotally attached to the bar 1 on opposite sides of theplates 2 as indicated at 13. This stirrup lies *down on top of the teetha and itscrotchportion is designed to engage the teeth on theperpendicular faces of the iatter. Thus, when the stirrup is engagedwith the teeth, the bar 3 may be moved in the direction of the post 8but is precluded from the opposite direction.

The bar 1 is connected to the anchoring post 8 by means of the chain 7.The bar, therefore, is attached to the wire fencing to be stretched andto this end there is pro vided a bar 1 1 which is preferably of wood.The wire fencing 15, at the end is bent around thisba-r 14, as clearlyillustrated in Figs. 1 and t and the longitudinal strands are crossed ontheir bent back portion as indicated at 16 in Fig. i. The verticalstrand 17 adjacent to which the bar 14: is placed precludes thoseportions of the longitudinal strands to which the vertical strand isattached from passing to the same side of the main portions of thelongitudinal strands on which the crossed portions 1'6 stand. A pin,therefore, such as the pin 18, passed through the loops made in thelongitudinal strands at 16, serves to secure the end of the fencing onthe bar 14. .This bar 141 at its longitudinal center carries anappropriate anchoring hook 19 and one end of the chain 20 connects withthis anchoring hook, the other end being attachable to a hook 21attached to a clevis 22 secured to one end of the bar 3. i

A hand lever 23 carried between two plates'24: which straddle the bar 3and are pivotally connected to the bar 1, as indicated at 25, serves asa means for effecting relative movement between the two bars when theone is attached to the fencing as has been before described and theother attached to the anchorin 30st 8 as has also been dev the'jfencing.

scribed. The two plates 24 carry between them a pin 26 and pivotallyconnected to this p n are the legs of a stirrup 27' which is similar tothe stirrup 12 and similarly engages the teeth l. The wire fencing 15 isslack when the device is initially attached to 1t andthe anchoring postbut the stirru-p 12 engages certain of the teeth 4 and t'hestirru'p 27certain other of the said teeth.

I movement-of the bar 3 rides over the teeth 4r and finally engages. atooth nearer that end at which the clevis 22 is carried than itpreviously engaged. This relative position of the two barsis thenmaintained while the -lever1s shifted in the direction of the bar 14 tohave its stirrup 27 engage new teeth f 30 Repeating the operationpreviously described results in the increase of tension on the fencing,When the fencing has been stretched so that no further movement of thebars is permissible, the hook 11 carried by the. chain 10 is engaged inone of the links of the'chain 20, whereupon the bar 3 may he released byallowing it to move back slightly in the direction of the bar 1%. Thiscanbedoneby shifting it in this reverse direction the distance of thelength of.

a 'tooth 'the hand lever 'servin to hold the bar while the stirrup 27 islifted up and engagedrwith a new tooth farther to the right. Finally, byrepeating this operation, the bar 3 is relieved of} any tension and thetension is all imposed upon the bar 1 through the medium of the hook 11and chain 10.. The bar 3 may then be shifted in the direction of the bar1i and the full operative length of the device is again obtainedwhereupon a new grip by the bar may be had by having its hook 21 cngagccertain links of the chain 20. The opcra tion of stretching fencingfurther may be carried on by repeating the operatir'ms bcfore described.

The invention having been described. what is claimed as new and usefulis:

1. A wire stretcher comprising an active element in the form of a bar. apassive clcment with which the active element is slidably connected, theactive clement being formed with teeth. a stirrup carried by the passiveelement and straddling thi active element and engaging the teeththereof, a h and lever pivotally connected to the passive clcment andstraddling the activc element. a stirrup pivotally connected to thelever and engaging the teeth of the active clement. an anchoring chaincarried at one end of the passive element. a gapplc hook carricd at oneend of the active element. a second grapple hook. and a flexible(Unfit-Flinn b.- tween said grapple hook and the opposite end of thepassive element for the purpose specified.

2. A wire stretcher comprising an act ve element. a passive element withwhich the active element is slidahly engaged, manual means for effectingrelative longitudinal movement of the two members. means for securingthe two members in relatively iixcd position during the inactive periodof the said manual operating means, a grapple carried by the passiveelement. a grapple carried by the active element. and a supplementalgrapple carried by the passive element at the end remote from the firstsaid grapple. the said supplemental grapple being flexibly connected tothe active element for use during the time of changing position of thegrapple carried by the active element.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HOWEL E. GLOVER.

